CDC responds as flu rips through University of Michigan campus
DETROIT — Influenza is sweeping the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus, with 528 cases diagnosed at the University Health Service since Oct. 6.
The outbreak is so sudden and large — 313 cases were identified the week of Nov. 8 alone and 37% of flu tests that week were positive — that it's drawn the attention of federal health leaders.
A team of investigators from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be on campus this week, trying to learn more about the spread of the virus and the effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine.
Among those who've contracted flu at U-M this fall, 77% didn't get a flu vaccine. The cases were identified as influenza A (H3N2), said Lindsey Mortenson, UHS medical director and acting executive director.
The work will be led by the local health department, and will include the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the university and a team from the CDC.
When a public health authority requests assistance from the CDC for an urgent public health problem, such as disease outbreaks, unexplained illnesses and natural or human-caused disasters, an Epi-Aid team is tapped to provide short-term assistance.
Fewer Michiganders have taken flu vaccines this year compared with the same time in 2020. As of Nov. 6, the state health department reported 2.01 million flu shots have been administered so far statewide, covering about 20% of the population. Comparatively, 3.14 million doses had been given as of Nov. 6, 2020, covering about 31% of the population.
Debris from Russian anti-satellite test endangers ISS crew
A Russian anti-satellite missile destroyed a satellite on Monday, spewing debris into orbit and endangering the International Space Station and its seven occupants, according to U.S. and British authorities.
Russia fired an anti-satellite missile at one of its own satellites, generating more than 1,500 pieces of debris and hundreds of thousands of smaller chunks, according to the U.S. State Department.
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long term sustainability of our outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weapons and weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical,” Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said at a briefing in Washington.
Five astronauts and two cosmonauts are aboard the space station, which is linked with two craft that carried passengers from Earth — the U.S. SpaceX Crew Dragon and a Russian Soyuz. The crew got into the Soyuz and Crew Dragon craft as the debris got close to the station.
The Russian news agency Tass, quoting a source it didn’t identify, said the director of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, plans to discuss the matter tomorrow by phone with NASA.
A spokeswoman for NASA’s Johnson Space Center said the agency was gathering information, before it could comment.
—Bloomberg News
New Year’s Eve celebration returning to Times Square for 2022
NEW YORK — It’s the least likely venue for social distancing, but city officials say they are going ahead with plans to ring in the New Year the old fashioned way — with crowds in Times Square to watch the ball drop.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced party planners to cancel the 2021 celebration, organizers are bringing the blowout back, complete with crowds, carousing and a big crystal ball.
“We want to have a great New Year’s Eve celebration in this city,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. “This city has been through so much, but this has been a heroic city, fighting through COVID. We’re turning the corner. We’ve got a lot to celebrate. So, it’s going to be a big moment in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”
De Blasio promised more specifics on just how the city plans to safely squeeze thousands of people behind barricades to safely kick off yet another year under the shadow of a global pandemic that still has the city in its grip.
But party plans are likely to hinge on the same controversial vaccine mandate that has kept some first responders off the job and forced confrontations at bars and restaurants.
A source familiar with the event planning said revelers will be required to show proof of full vaccination to enjoy the Times Square ball drop celebration in-person. That’s up from the one-dose requirement already in place.
—New York Daily News
A move into presidential line of succession possible for Feinstein
WASHINGTON — The Senate's longest-serving Democrat announced Monday he won't run for reelection next year, a decision that would move Sen. Dianne Feinstein into the role and potentially into the presidential line of succession.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont chose to retire after serving eight terms in the Senate.
Leahy's departure from the Senate, expected in early 2023, would make Feinstein the longest-serving Democratic senator. If Democrats retain control of the Senate after the 2022 midterm election, she would be poised to become the Senate president pro tempore, the first woman to hold the post, which was established in the Constitution.
The president pro tempore is elected by the Senate, but for decades the position has gone to the senior-most member of the majority party. The officeholder is third in the presidential line of succession after the vice president and speaker of the House.
Along with Vice President Kamala Harris, if Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were to remain in her post — she has previously said she would not serve as speaker beyond 2022 — it would put three California women in the top three presidential succession slots.
Because of the line of succession, the president pro tempore is one of a few members of Congress who get a full-time security detail.
Feinstein was first elected to the Senate in 1992. Her current term, her fifth full term, is due to end in early 2025.
—Los Angeles Times
